Speed governor



Mich 141, 195 H. E. WARREN 2 .,4?8

. SPEED GOVERNOR Filed April 15, 1943 9 Sheets-Sheet l f p 6. JNVENTOR BY I March M, 135@ H. E. WARREN SPEED GOVERNOR Filed April 15, 1943 9 Sheets-Sheet 3 March 9 1950 HE. WARREN AT SPEED GOVERNOR Filedn ril 15, .1943 9 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY March 14, 1950 H. E. WARREN SPEED GOVERNOR Filed April 15, 1943 9 Sheets-Sheet 6 AQW QEN H. E. WARREN March 14., 1950 SPEED GOVERNOR 9 Shee ts-Sheet 7 Filed A rii 15, 1943 INVEN ZB a m 4 BY 2 E7 'A1'TORNEY March 14, 1950 HE. WARREN 2,500,478

SPEED GOVERNOR Filed April 15, 1943 9 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTOR wwws wwqi ATITORNEY March 14, 1950 H. EQWARREN 2,500,473

SPEED GOVERNOR Filed ApriI 15, 1943 9 Sheets-Sheet 9 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 14, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPEED GOVERNOR Henry E. Warren, Ashland, Mass.

Application April 15, 1943, Serial No. 483,162

15 Claims. 1

Heretofore, 'the axial movement of the valve interposed between a source of fluid under pressure and the servomotor for controlling the supply of fluid to the latter, was effected by ball or weight governors, or like centrifugal devices, which varied the position of the valve in accordance with the changes in the speed of the prime mover to be governed, and means actuated by said servomotor were employed to react upon the valve during its return to neutral position in order to prevent the creation of oscillatory movement thereof, commonly known as racing or huntmg.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a substitute for said ball governors and 1 the casing in which it is disposed, creates hydraulic pressure tending to move the valve axially.

Such impeller, which may be of any suitable construction, may be connected directly with the valve for simultaneous axial and rotary movement therewith, or, preferably, is disposed separately from the valve and the pressure created thereby communicated to said valve for imparting axial movement thereto. In both cases the valve, preferably, is rotatable to avoid undue friction and insure freedom of axial movement. The valve and its connected parts are acted upon by a definite force tending to move the same axially in a given direction, and this force is balanced when the valve is in its neutral position by the hydraulic pressure created by the impeller. Preferably, the governor is mounted vertically so that such definite force is the force of gravity. However, the governor may be mounted horizontally, and any suitable means, such, for example, as a spring,

may be used to create the definite force aforesaid. The valve preferably is balanced, and another object of the invention is the provision of a novel balanced valve having one or more pairs of ports.

If one pair only is used, one member thereof is constructed to be a reaction port tending to produce an opening force upon the valve element, and the other, called a free port, a closing force upon said element which substantially neutralizes such opening force. Preferably, a plurality of such pairs are used and are disposed in spaced relation around the periphery of the valve sleeve. In either case, the reaction and free ports are connected with an intake port by an annular groove in the valve element upon the outward movement of said element.

Another important object of the invention is the employment of the combination of the acceleration of an inertia element produced by a change in speed of the prime mover and the actual change in speed thereof for moving the valve axially to produce the desired correction in the power output of the prime mover and restore the speed thereof to its normal value. For this purpose, a fly wheel is suitably disposed to rotate around the shaft on which the valve is mounted for axial and rotary movement, said fly wheel being geared to the prime mover or to a synchonous motor driven by the latter, by spiral or helical gearing whereby an upward or downward thrust will be imposed upon the driven gear when the speed of the inertia element is accelerated or retarded and the axial movement of the valve varied accordingly. The actual change in speed of the impeller will, of course, vary the axial movement of the valve and the combination of the acceleration effect, which is a maximum at the beginning of a change of speed, with the variation in pressure effected by the impeller will alter the position of the valve much more rapidly than if the impeller alone were used.

It will be understood, of course, that the impeller-inertia-element combination may be employed in existing systems wherein overtravel of the valve upon its return to its neutral position is prevented by connections between the servomotor and the valve; but a very important object of the present invention consists in the use of the inertia element to return the valve to its neutral position at substantially the same instant at which the speed of the prime mover is restored to its normal value without the use of anti-racing connections; in other words, to eliminate hunting and make the governor a dead-beat device without the use of such connections.

Another object of the invention is the employment of novel means actuated by the servomotor to eliminate hunting, such means comprising suit able connections whereby the casing in which the impeller rotates is moved axially and relatively quired.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale showing details of'the ports in the valve sleeve.

posed at a distance therefrom.

Fig. '15 is a fragmentary central vertical section, somewhat diagrammatic in nature, illustrating hydraulic biasing mechanisms that may -be employed with my improved governor.

Referring to the drawings selected to more I fully disclose the principle underlying my in- -vention,

Figure 1 illustrates a simple form of the invention which is serviceable where the highest degree of precision and regulation is not re- In this figure, a valve 28 mounted for axial and rotary movement is interposed between a source 22 of fluid under pressure and a servomotor 2| for controlling the supply of fluid thereto. The servomotor comprises a cylinder 23 which, in the present instance, is formed at one end of the casting 24, the piston 25 and piston 7 rod 26, the free end of which is connected by means not shown in Fig. 1 but indicated in Fig. 5, for controlling the valve or gate mechanism of the prime mover the speed of which is to be governed, such, for example, as an engine or turbine, the arrangement being such that the downward or outward movement of the piston will reduce the power output and hence the speed of the prime mover.

The block or casting 24 is provided with ducts 21, 28, connecting the interior of said cylinder with the annular space 29 between the exterior surface of the valve and the portion 38 of said casting surrounding the same, said space being formed by reducing the external diameter of the valve intermediate the ends thereof. When the valve is in neutral or normal position, that is, when the speed of the prime mover is normal, the valve will be closed, that is to say, there will be no communication between the source of fluid pressure and the servomotor, as shown in Fig. 1.

However, when the speed becomes abnormal,

- the Valve will move upwardly or downwardly, as

the case may be, and fluid under pressure from a the tank 22 will enter the cylinder 23 and drive the piston downwardly (outwardly) or upwardly (inwardly), accordingly. Thus, if the speed of the prime mover increases due to reduction of its load, the valve will move upwardly, thereby bringthe valve and thence with the exhaust pipe 35 which enters said space, and the fluid in the cylinder below the piston will be exhausted I through the duct 28, space 33 and pipe 35 into the sump 36.

When, however, the speed of the prime mover is reduced on account of an increase in its load, the valve will move downwardly, the space 29 between the ends of the valve will be brought '6 into register with the duct 28, fluid pressure will then pass through said duct into the cylinder 23 below the piston and drive the same upwardly while the fluid above said piston will exhaust through the duct 21, the serrations 31 in the upper end of the valve, the space 33, and thence through the pipe 35 into the sump.

Heretofore, the axial movement of the valve was effected directly by centrifugally actuated weights, such as balls or the like. By means of the present invention, however, the need for such devices is eliminated and the axial movement imparted to the valve is effected by liquid pressure through centrifugal means, such as an impeller mounted for axial and rotary movement with said valve, such centrifugal means co-opcrating with a liquid for creating on one side thereof hydraulic pressure tending to move both the valve and centrifugal means axially.

In the simple form of my invention illustrated in Fig. 1, the centrifugal means comprises an impeller of any suitable construction, such impeller being shown in the present instance as a piston 40 suitably secured to the valve rod 4| for rotation therewith and provided with a plurality of ports, two of which are shown at 42, each port leading from the upper face or intake side of the piston near the center thereof to its periphery near its lower face. In the present instance, the impeller is secured to the valve rod 4| by the pin 43 and the valve is secured thereto by the pin 44, both of these elements being somewhat loosely coupled to the valve rod in order to eliminate the necessity for exact centering.

The impeller must of course be connected for rotation by the prime mover the speed of which is to be governed, and, in the present instance, such connection is made by the speed reducing gears 45, 46, the gear 45 being secured to the valve rod and the gear 46 to the countershaft 41, journalled in the bearings 48, 48, and rotated by the prime mover through a belt, not shown, and the pulley 49 attached to said countershaft.

The impeller is disposed within a cylindrical casing or reservoir 50 containing a liquid and the casing is provided with a closure 5|, provided with vanes 52 depending into said liquid to check the rotary movement thereof created by the rotation of" the impeller. The impeller takes in the liquid, which may be oil, from the upper portion of said casing and discharges it into the bottom portion thereof, thereby developing hydraulic pressure, the magnitude of which is a function of the impellers velocity of revolution; and this pressure acting on the lower face of the impeller tends to impart upward axial motion thereto and to all the elements thereto. attached.

When the speed of the prime mover-is normal, the hydraulic pressure developed by the impeller and acting against the lower face thereof, thus tending to move the same upwardly, is balanced by the weight of the valve rod and all elements attached thereto. The cylindrical casing 50 is movable axially within the guide 53 secured by any suitable means to the lower face of the block 24.

By means of the lever 60 and link 6!, the impeller casing is attached for axial movement to the piston rod 26 for the purpose of checking overtravel of the piston 25 in either direction. Connections, usually including dash pots, springs, and the like, between the servomotor and its control valve, which are old and well known and commonly-called anti-racing connections, are cumbersome and not entirely satisfactory. In

stoma-vs 7 7 f tsproved; govern-or, however,. "the 'zpoi'lted piston llr serves the purpose of: the dash pctof t'theprioraruashereinaiter more iui lyeicplained. The: apparatusabove"described forms-a simple '"andi'effective 'speedgovcrnor, and;.-may beusedljin existing equipment without further additions thereto, the impeller: replacing" the ball or weighted governors heretofore used for imparting axial movement to the valve so: it will. be

' notedi that in Figures 1 and 5, the impeller is freelymounted and. is supported solely bythe liquid with: which said impeller co-operates tor creating hydraulic iorceom one side thereofiwh'en steady-state operation. and the tome .clue to s'aidlliquidv in steady-state operation is opposed by :aconstant force equal; 'tl iereto,- with the; resuit that-there: is no distance: limitationin: the "movement ofthe impeller and thevalve methanically connected thereto, so that the impeller and; valve-wilt Continuously rise or fall as long One of the advantages'ofxtheimpellerand attached: valve hereindescribed-is that there will he an increase in the quantity of oil discharged into: the servomotor cylinder given time, other things: being equal, and the acceleration force acting: on the valve will be directly proportional tofthe acceleration..- In other words; the axial movement of" the impeller and its attached valve will be a maximum for a m in-iimzum variation of hydraulic pressure. This is not true-bf the governors now in use wherein a smalls-speed differential must last much longer than in the caseofi my improved governor order to produce the same effectcn the gate' controlling the ilow tothe prime mover, other things beingseqiial, and this is also true of the action of accelerationon 'thermovemerit of the prior art'servomotor control-valves; i

Themiston at with its ports t2: performs the functions of a. dashpot when; a, correction i01- overspeed or underspeedbi's being made by the axial movement of the casing 5i By th-is -means, Leliminate the separate dash pot or equivalent vdeviceheretofore-iound.vnecessary in all. i-so chronousgovernors tofoe interposed between the antiracing: connection and. the valve, together "with the. elaborate devices necessary toplace :such yda'sh pots in operative relation to' the valve. I

Tothe governor above describedlpreter to add the fo'llowingel'ements, via, a smal'l' rfly.wiheel W mounted on: the sleeve H, which iscarizanged :to rotatearound the valve rod. 4| bearings '12, 72, being, preferably, interposed betweemsaid sleeve QI lIdLIKQCI, :and a-helical .g'ear 1:3- which is rigidlyrconnected to said sleeve andrmesheswith a larger helical gear M rigidly attached to the .=countershaft -41; The flywheel, preferably, is

'fri'ctionally engaged with the sleeve by mounting it onthe disclfi which may be integral withisaid gearing? means, is coupled to the valve rodz by means which are tangentially frictionless .and axially :fixed or: positive; The: inclination :o'i v the teeth of the: helical or .spiral gears: to theiraxes issuch= that when theprime-mover'is accelerated, rotation in: normal: direction. being assumed, the actionof. the. driving; helical gear is upomtlie driven helical gear 13- will impart an-upward axial movement to the latter, which will augment the axial movement imparted to: the va-lve by the hydraulicpressuredeveloped on the lower: fiace ofthe impellen. As the impeller andu'attached valve are: freely mounted. and supported, when in steady-state operation solely the liquid J'With which the former co-operates for creatinguhyd raulic force- :on: one side thereof, and .botli qimapeller and valve are actuated by suchforce; and thehforcedue to' said liquid, i'nzssteady-statez-oporation, is opposed by a constant "force equal thereto, the acceleration torces' acting on the valve Will-b8 directly proportional to theacceleration WhiGh, i0f course, isnot the case wherezthe axial movement of the valve is controlled by' a ball governor or the like,

While the apparatus shown. in Fig. l and above described, including the anti-racing connection,

may be used effectively, I have discovered that the combination :of the impeller with the: acceleration measuring inertia element comprising the helical geari'ngandthe flywheel, maybe employed to return the valvetoits :neutral .position practically simultaneously with the restoration of thespeed. of the prime mover tonormal without the anti-racing connections shown in 511g. I,,:;as hereinafiter' more fully explained.

It will .be obvious that in existing systems .in which centrifugally actuated weighted devices are employedrwith ant-tracing connections, the helical: gearand. fly wheel: arrangement shown in Fig.1 may witluadvantage be used;

The operation of. the governor hereinbefore clescribedris as follows:

The countershafti H is belted to or: otherwise connected for rotation by, the prime mover-at a speed which is proportional to that of the latter and the valve-will be rotated: ata lower: but pro-- portional speed by the speed reducing spur gears 45, t6,;the* rotationof the valve-being: for the -sole purpose "oi reducing" v friction between the valve and its sleeve and thereby preventing undue :resistance to axialmovement The speed at which the valve rotates'is immateriaLbu-t it is ofiacourse absolutely essential that the rotational speed :of the impeller be proportional to that of the prime mover and that whetherconnected to-rota'te with the valve or separately therefrom, it must be. a speed measuring elements If the speed iof=tthe prime moveris increased, there will be imparted to the valve rod-ea definite upward thrustdue to the-action of the helical gearsrand the inertia of the fly wheel, and when :suchispeedi reaches apertain value, the hydraulic pressure developed :beneath the impeller piston added to the upward force produced by thespiralsgeairscomhination,

lift the-revolving valve stem, with its entire load, and thus move the val-veupwardly, thereby supplying oil under pressure to the servomdtor, with the result that-the'piston roduzfi wilimove downwardly, thereby checking the power 40113511111 or speed of the prime mover. At the sameatime, the impellercasingfifl wil-lalsc'move downwardly to a small extent-,-thus tending torestorethewvalve to-itsneutralposition and. consequently check tlie overtravel downwardly of saidpiston.

If the speed of the prime mover still continuestoo high, the servomotor piston will move downwardly until there is a balance between the power output and the load of the prime mover at the correct speed. After that, all the parts will be in equilibrium, but whenever a further load change occurs and the speed of the prime mover rises or falls, there will be a corresponding acceleration or retardation, which will be felt by the inertia element comprising the helical gears and the flywheel. This will be followed by an effect due to the change in speed and the resulting change in the pressure beneath the impeller. The combination of these two actions, that is, acceleration and the actual change in speed, will very promptly alter the position of the servomotor piston so as to produce the proper correction in the power output of the prime mover and restore the speed to its normal value.

As indicated in Fig. l, the oil or other fluid employed to actuate the servomotor at all times completely fills the spaces in the cylinder 23 above and below the piston 25, the ducts 21 and 28, the space 29 between the valve and its sleeve, the pipe 32 throughout its entire length (the tanks 22 and 36 and their connections 32, 35, being indicated schematically, merely, in Fig. 1) and the space 33 surrounding the valve housing up to the level of the exhaust pipe 35. From the foregoing description, it will be readily understood by those skilledin the art that upon retardaticn of the speed of the prime mover due to ally on thesleeve H, as above pointed out, in

order to provide the necessary slippage, when by sudden acceleration or retardation the force developed by the rapidly revolving flywheel might otherwise be excessive; but this in no way detracts from the efficiency of the governor for ordinary rates of acceleration or retardation. In this and in all other embodiments of my invention in which an inertia element is used, the eifect of such element may readily be altered by varying the size and weight of the flywheel which is an easily replaceable element.

Furthermore, in order to meet differing conditions, the weightsof the flywheel and all other elements making up the inertia system, the valve,

the impeller and the gearing, may readily be varied, as well as the gearing ratios, .the impeller and piston areas, and the angle of inclination of the teeth of the helical gears.

A distinct difference between the governor shown in Fig. 2, which is the preferred form of my invention, and the simple apparatus illustrated in Fig. 1, is that in Fig. 2 the impeller is not axially movable with respect to its casin and is disposed separately from the valve the pressure created thereby being communicated to a piston connected to the valve for imparting axial movement to the latter In both cases, however, the connections between the inertia mechanism and the valve are such that the tendency to axial movement of the latter is increased or diminished in.

accordance with the positive or negative accelera-i tion of the inertia mechanism.

Referring to Fig. 2, mounted on a suitable base 82 is a servomotor 2| of the trunk piston type,

provided with ports 83, 84, communicating with passageways 85, 85, which may be pipes enclosed within the column 8'! rising from and appropriately secured to said servomotor. The pipe 85 is connected by the pipe 88 to the pressure tank 22,,

and-the sump 365 is connected to the pipe 89, a

portion of which may he enclosed'within said;

column and extends to near the top of the stand pipe 90, mounted on and secured to the column Bl. Enclosed v ithin said column also, is the pipe 9i leading from the bottom of said standpipe to one of the ports of the balanced valve 92. It will be understood, of course, that the several passageways designated as pipes may be ducts cored into said column 81. The paths of the fluid between the pressure tank and the servomotor by way of the interposed valve 92, are shown in detail in. Fig. 3, hereinafter to be described, and the details; of the balanced valve 92, which preferably is employed, will be explained in connection with Figs.-;

9-13, inclusive.

To drive the impeller or centrifugal pump at arate proportional to the speed of the prime mover to be governed, any suitable means may be-employed, and, in the present instance, I have shown 1 for this purpose a synchronous motor Hill, suit-'- ably mounted on the column 8? behind the stand-- pipe, for driving the impeller lfil, mounted forrotation on the shaft m2 splined to the bevel gear; M33, as indicated at I03, meshing with th bevel; gear Hi l on the shaft of the synchronous motor.

. The valve element m5 of the balanced valve 92 is mounted for rotation on the rod E86, which, pref-j erably, is hollow, and the lower portion of which, preferably, is provided with a number of apertures H31. By the speed reducing gears I08, 109,.

the connection between the piston and rod is afforded by one or more pins l l l rising from the upper face of the piston and co-operating with a pin H2 extending laterally from the piston rod.

It is advisable to rotate the impeller and piston independently, in order to eliminate the wear on the outer diameter of the piston, which, in the case of Fig. 1, is comparatively large,- and also to eliminate or reduce the whirling motion of the liquid above said piston, which inthe caseof Fig.- 1 is checked by the'vanes 52. understood, of course, that the impeller must have. a relatively high rate of speed and that by sepae rating the combination piston and centrifugal. pump or impeller of Fig. 1, in the manner shownin Fig. 2, the rotational speed of the piston may be made as small as desired, while at the same time permitting the impeller llll to rotate at asv high a speed as may be necessary to develop suffi-. cient hydraulic pressure to impart axial movement to the valve.

A relatively small flywheel H3 is mountedfor. rotation about the valve rod for the purpose here-l inbefore described in connection with Fig. l, and. such rotation is effected in the present instance by the helical gear; ll l splined to the shaft lfl2 It will be readily which meshes with the helical :gear H mountedfor rotation about the valve rod in any suitable manner, ball bearings"! i B preferably being' interposed between said gear and rod.

The inertia element comprising said helical gears and flywheel performs the same function and ieiiects the same result'as already explained in connection with Fig. 1. As indicated JinFig. 2, the connection between the gear I 15 and the fiywheel'is made by means of a pin 'l'li which is rigidly :connected toand projects tro'm .the lower face of 'said gear and enters an aperture in the upper face of the flywheel, =but a friction mount, such 'asis'h'own in Fig. 1,tmay beus'ed.

While anti-racing connections areindicated in Fig.2, it is to be understood, as explained more fully in connection with Fig. 6, that the use of such connections to check the motion of the servomotor piston and make the overnor adead beat device (that is, "one which will return the valve to its neutral position at substantially the instant atwhichthe "speed of the prime mover is restored "to its normal value) is unnecessary.

The anti-racing connections in the present instance oompr'ise 'a hell crank having anarm 4.26 p'ivotally connected'to'one end-'o'fithe rod 12 the other end or which is pivoted to an arm i22 :extending -laterally from the servomotor piston rod 26 andsecur'edthereto by the collar I23; and an arm 124, which by the -link 425, the length of which may be "adjusted "by the turnbuckle I26, is connected to one arm IZ'i of a :bell crank, the other arm 128 being adjustably oonnect'ed t0 the rod 129.

'fIhe casin 138 in which the impeller "or on tri'fugal'pump is disposed, is located at the lower end of the cylinder i 31 through which the Simpeller shaft passes,- and said cylinder 13! communicates byia passageway +32 with the cylinder I33 within which the piston i it "is located. The cylinder133 is filled with oil or other suitable fluid, which, by the action of the "centrifugal pump, is 'drawn throughthe pipe 133 into the reservoir I34 andiorcedthrough' the chamber l 35, and by the ports 13G, l lyenters the "cylinder H33 below the piston, thereby imparting thereto an axial movement :d'epending, among other things; upon'the speed of rotation of the'primewmover, suchflow beingiregulated byfth'e adjustable needle valve 138.

.A' therm'os'tat 139 zandih'eating'unit MD may be employed to maintain the'tem'peratureand fbherefore-the density ofthe-oil, or other fluidaemployed, constant.

The impeller casing and the-cylinders 35 and l?33,'itogether with thepipe 133 and reservoir 53%, are I connected itogether 'as a single unit capable otaxieil :movement when acted upon by the con necting rod l29, said unit :bein'g guided :in :such movement loy'the piston housing 14'! fforrn'ed in the lateral extension 'i' ltintegral with thecolumn 8'1 -and secure'dito th'e'lovver end oflthe valvehousing 143. Thus, when the "speed of "the prime mover 'thespeed-of which is to be governed in creases and the servomotor piston moves outwardly,the -anti-racing connections will move the cylinders 13!, I33, downwardly, thereby reducing the hydraulic pressure which acts on the piston H0, and thus checking the overtravel oi the servomo'tor piston and preventing. racing, as above explained in connection with Fig. 1. The pistoni Ifljtogether with-the axially movable cylinders 1 3L133, and the impeller-ml, performs the functions or adash pot with all the advanta'ges heretofore 'set-eout in connection the neutral positionythe Weight "of'said valve and all parts connected-to the valve rod beingibah' anced by the hydraulic pressure developed by' the impeller and "impressed upon the piston NB;

When the speed changes, the actual change in the speed of the impeller will vary the hydraulic pressure imposedupon the piston Hi3, and the thrust on th driven spiral gear i 15 due to ac c'el'eration or retardation of "the speed, will, combination with the variation in pressure developed "by the impeller, alter the position of the valve 'and restore the speed of the prime mover to normal.

Although the above describedmeans actuated by the servomotor to react upon the valve during its return to neutral position in order to prevent racing or hunting, maybe employed to vary the effect of the hydraulic pressure on the valve, it is "to Joe borne in mind that the use of such antiracing connections is optional and that by th' proper proportion'in of the several moving parts, including the peripheral angle of the teeth of the helical gears, the speed of the "prime mover may =loeres'tored to "its normal 'value without the use of such connections. is oneof the salient features of my invention. 1

Byreference to Figs. '3 and "Seal shall'now-em 'pnm the connections oi the valve 'ports'to pressure tank and servomotor that are no'wpreferre'd by me.

The valve 2 comprises a stationary ported sleeve [56 and valve element 165, preferably rotatalile, enclosed therein.

The sleeve "is provided nearits upper end'with a plurality of annular outlet ports i5! spaced outwardly from the annular intake ports [52, ahd' I56, #5'5, communicating with the'sleeve ports 58, I59, respectively, said ports and the tank 2-2,'the standp'ipelh, the sump '36, and the servomotor parts 83, 8d, being 'soin'terconne'cted by a seriesof pipes or passageways cored-'inthe hotly of the governor that no air pockets can thereto, tothe servomotor port 83 and thean nularspac'e ztfiil around the enlarged portion 25' of the piston rod :ZiL'and by said pipe -88 and the pipe i6i,-'.also coupled to said pipe 68, to the intake port !55 of the valve housing and the intake port 1 52 of the valve sleeve.

The space iSZ between the inward face of the piston '25 and the inward :cylinder head 163',

V maintained when the pistonfis at the end'of its inward stroke by the vboss 64 ,on the inward are both connected to the valve housing outlet port I54 and to the sleeve outlet port II by the pipe 86 and its extension I65. Said space I62 and port 84 are both connected to the housing intake port I51 and the sleeve intake port I59, by said pipe 86 and the pipe I66 coupled thereto.

Oil may flow in either direction in the pipes 85 and 86 to and from the servomotor ports 83 and 84, respectively, and in the other pipes, the directions of flow are indicated by arrows.

The standpipe 99 receives oil discharge through sleeve outlet port I58 and housing outlet port I56 by pipe 9| and discharges it through pipe 89 into the sump tank which is open to the atmosphere by the vent I6'I.

In Fig. 3a, the valve element I95 is shown broken into an upper and a lower part in order to illustrate the paths of the oil for both outward positions thereof, but it will be understood, of course, that when the upper sleeve ports I5I, I52, are connected by the annular groove I53, the lower sleeve ports I58, I59, are never connected by the annular groove I68, and conversely. In the upper half of Fig. 3a, the valve element is represented as having moved outwardly, i. e., upwardly from its neutral position when the governor is disposed vert cally, and established communication between the sleeve ports I5I, I52, by way of the annular groove I58. In the lower half of Fig. 3a, the valve element has moved outwardly, i. e., downwardly from its neutral position, and put the sleeve ports I58, I59, into communication by way of the annular groove I68.

The word outwardly is employed to designate the direction of motion of the valve element that will connect the sleeve intake ports with their respective outlet ports. Thus, when the governor is disposed vertically (it may be placed horizontally, as shown in Fig. 7), the upward movement of the valve element whereby the sleeve intake port i52 is connected with sleeve outlet port I5I via the groove I53, is termed outward with respect to the upper half of the valve, and the downward motion of said element whereby the sleeve intake port I59 is connected with sleeve outlet port I58 via the groove I68, is termed outward with respect to the lower half of the valve.

The flow of oil in the case of an increase in load on the prime mover, is as follows:

Responding to the decrease in speed of the prime mover due to the increase of load, the valve element drops below, or outwardly from, its central or neutral position, thus putting ports I 58 and I59 into communication through annular groove I68. Oil then flows from tank 22 into the space I69 in the servomotor cylinder,

through pipes 88 and 85, and the servomotor port 60 83, since the oil in the space I62 is now free to flow through pipes 86 and I66 into intake port I51, and thence through annular groove I59, outlet port I58 and pipe 9| into the standpipe 99,

' the weight and proportions of the fly wheel and the ratio of the helical gears must be so chosen that the combined effects of the speed of the prime mover operating on the impeller, and the acceleration or retardation of said prime mover operating on the inertia. element. will cause the valve to return to its neutral position at about the same time as the prime mover speed returns to normal. In all three cases, that is. in the apand thence by pipe 89, into the sump tank, with no pressure above that of the atmosphere to 0ppose the pressure of the oil thus forced by the piston 25 from said space I62. It will be understood, of course, that all of the connecting pipes are sufliciently large to make negligible the opposing pressure due to frictional resistance to oil flow from said space I62 into the sump tank. In this case, no oil will flow in pipes I6! and I65, since ports I5I and I52 are not in communication when the valve element is below its neutral position. Thus, the servomotor piston moves to the right and increases the gate opening, thereby bringing the speed of the back to normal.

In the case of a decrease in load on the prime mover, the speed increases and the governor mechanism moves the valve element above or outwardly from its central position, thereby putting ports I5! and I 52 into communication and blocking communication between ports I58 and I59. The oil at that time in standpipe 99 will flow out through pipe 89 into the sump until its level is below the top of said pipe; thus, port I58 and pipe 9| remain filled with oil. This provision is made so that on the next downward or inward movement of the valve element, oil from pipe I66 will flow into a space filled with oil instead of air, thereby securing smoother operation of the governor. Simultaneously with the draining of the standpipe, as described above, oil will flow from space I69 in the servomotor cylinder into intake port I52, through pipes and I6I, and also from tank 22 into said port through pipes 88 and I6I. The oil from both sources thence flows through annular groove I53, outlet port I5I, and pipes I65 and 86 into the space I62 in the servomotor cylinder. This flow occurs because the inward side of piston 25 facing said space I62 has twice the effective area of its outward side, which faces space I69, and exerts twice the force on the piston with approximately equal pressure on both sides. This piston thus moves to the left, reducing the flow of water -'-'lieve is broadly new with me, may be effected by the simple expedient of removing the floating lever 69 and the link 6|, in the case of the governor shown in Fig. 1, and by removing the links and levers I26, I25, I21, I28, I29, in the 'case of the governor shown in Fig. 2, and also Fig. 6, hereinafter to be described in detail, will, ':"without alteration, accomplish the same result.

It will be understood. of course, that in all case's,

paratus of Figs. 1 and 2 modified as above stated, and in the apparatus of Fig. 6, substantially the following relation of the various factors obtains,

to wit:

P=te' tc-in prime mover 5,2 whiclriss-the algebraic sunrof Q. and R; is th netforce acting on the. valve.

,These. relations. are shown graphically in Fig; 8, in "which. thea'bscissae represent. time, and the ordinates, the magnitudes of the quantities in' valved;

Tl'iezero ordinate no is the normal speed of the prime mover which is being governed; It. will begclear from these curves that. the combined efiectj on the valve. of the forces due. to the impell'er: and" inertia element is to bring said valve to neutral position at substantially the same time as. the 'prim'e mover speedreturns to its normal value.

Fig. 8" shows that the force R on the valve, due to the inertia. measuring element, is decidedly out of phase. with the force Q, acting thereon, Whichoriginatesin. the speed measuring element or centrifugal impeller. In consequence of this relationship, the tendency to sustained oscillationofthe speed. governors of the prior art, known as hunting or racing is definitely eliminated, so. thatmy improved governor is a dead beat deviceeven without the use of one of theconventional. anti-racing mechanisms hereinbefore described.

Ina turbineor other prime mover which it is desired toholdto a. speedy of m revolutions perminute regardless of load changes, said turbine beingsupplied. withwater through a gate whose opening is. controlled by aihydraulic cylinder, such as. thei-servomotor 21., andsaid cylinder beingunder. the control. of. the valve 92, the valve is subjected-to. a. constant. downward forcedue to its ownweight and to'the weight of the piston, helical-gear, and flywheel, which are rigidly connectedtto it as regards vertical. motion.

The impeller shaft-is. suitably connected. for rotation by the water wheel, so that. its rotational,

speed. isconstantly proportional to the. speed. of

saidwhel. Said shaft drives both thepumpand the flywheel, the. latter by means of, a pair of spiral gears,.so.chosen thatv the axial thrust of. the driven, gear is. upward. under conditions of increasing water wheel speed. It. will be understood that uniform speed. thrust is made neg ligible. by the use of an anti-friction mounting for the flywheel and driven gear.

Opposing the downward force on the valve mentioned above is the fluid pressure on the piston due to the pump. By suitable. choice of weights, pump impeller and piston. diameters, and.drive ratio between the water wheel and impeller shaft, these two-forces are made to equal ca'chnther atthe desired water wheel speed no. It will be unclerstoodthat the hydraulic cylinder con trolling the supply of water to the turbine or other prime mover is so arranged that upward motion of the valve decreases the amount of water available to the said turbine, and therefore tends to decrease the speed thereof, other conditions remaining constant.

Assuming that the external mechanical load on the: prime mover decreases: and that such loadchange takes place in an indefinitely short-interval of time,.it will be apparent that. the valve; in order to-bring the water. Wheel back to the d,e-.-= sired speed, must rise and then drop backto its, neutral position. The return of the valve to non tralposition: must furthermore occur very nearly at an instant at which. the waterwheel speed is" the desired one, otherwise the valve would immediately rise or drop awayfrom the neutral, position again. Thecurve P indicates. a. satisfactory type of valve movement, meeting both-the requirements just stated.

For all practical purposes, the change ill-fluid} pressure under the piston corresponding to, as change in speed of the impeller or pump may be; taken as directlyproportional to that change. in speed, so that the pressure curve Q showingthe; variation of the upward force on-the'piston due-ta the pump, necessarily follows the speed. curve N which is, in fact, precisely the curvethat. the speed of a water wheel would follow, given. a sudlden decrease in load, and a controlling. valve dis, placement such as that shown by thecurve R. This pump force, however, acting alone, would. not produce a valve displacement such as-that shown; indeed, were this the case, the valve, would merely rise, and remain displaced until the wheel speed. hadfallen far below the desired value. The necessary additional forceist provided by the inertia element. Thev actionof; this inertia element is as follows:

'At the instant that part of the load on the: water wheel is dropped, the force supplied by the' water then flowing into the turbine, plus the reservoir of force convertible from the kinetic energy thereof, is greater than that required. to. maintain the same at normal speed. This add-itional force is available to accelerate the flywheel, and does subject the same to an acceleration such as is indicated by the initial point of curve R. In. transmitting this acceleration to the flywheel, the driving spiral gear produces an upward thrustupon the driven gear and consequently upon the valve. pump and produces a much more rapid rise of.the valve than would. otherwise be possible. In consequence, however, of the rise of the valve, the turbine gate begins to close, less water flows therethrough, and the acceleration diminishes, rapidly, as. shownby. curve B, and becomes zero at the instant in, which is the instant that the turbine wheel speed change is checked, and immediately thereafter the curve R becomes neg-- ative.

Since the speed at this instant is still higher than nothe upward force due to the pump-re-- mains greater than the weight of the. valve sys-.- tem, and the valve continues to rise. The gates,- therefore, close. still further and the accelerationv reverses its direction, now retarding the wheel. Moreover, the thrust due to the inertia element" also reverses and opposesthe upward force of the pump. As a result, at the instant t2. the net force: S due to both the pump and the inertia element, becomes zero, and the valve ceases to rise. After the. instant tnthe speed, which had been steadily rising up. to that time due to the excessive. supply of water, begins todecrease, at. the: instant am, has alreadyfallen below the maximum, and. the pump force Q has: also decreased. The: valve, however, is stillabove neutral, and thegate is still closing, but as the gate closes thenow downward thrust of the inertia element increases, and: the upward force of the pump decreases with the de.--

This thrust aids the force due to the l7 creasing speed, with the result that the valve is forced down. The speed may drop below no before the valve returns to neutral, as shown slightly beyond the point is.

When this happens, the supply of water to the turbine and the speed thereof Will again be disproportion-ate, and the inertia element force Will again aid the pump, but as the pump force is then less than is required to balance the weight of valve system by such an amount that there is no tendency for the valve to rise, said valve continues to fall relatively slowly toward its neutral position, as shown by that portion of curve P between 234 and is. All of the forces acting on the valve, as well as the turbine speed and the water supply, are thus approaching their normal constant load values, and in fact, reach normal value at very nearly the same time, so that there is no tendency for further changes to take place until some new change in the external load on the wheel initiates another cycle of operation.

The conditions of operation, and the resulting changes and motions described above are somewhat oversimplified. Under actual operating conditions, the behavior of the governor would depart from that described to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the amount and rapidity of the original load change, the loading of the wheel, water and penstock conditions, and other factors. Nevertheless, the forces involved would still act in the same directions, and arrive at the same final balanced state, as I have demonstrated in practice. In the case of an increase in load instead of the decrease discussed above, all forces and all reactions would simply be reversed in direction.

In Fig. 6 showing an embodiment of my invention wherein the valve is returned to neutral position at about the same time the speed of the prime mover is restored to normal without the use of anti-racing connections, the flywheel I is mounted for rotation about the valve rod by the helical gearing already described, and is disposed on and for frictional movement with the flange l fixedly secured to the hub Ill) of the driven gear 5 Iii, ball bearings I I5 preferably being interposed between said hub and said rod.

The impeller Illl is mounted on the countershaft I? I, journalled in the flange I12, extending from the valve housing I43, and the collar I13, secured to and passing upwardly from the impeller casing i'l l. Any suitable means, such as the pulley I15, on the impeller shaft and a belt, not shown, may be employed for connecting said shaft for rotation by the prime mover at a speed which is, of course, proportional to that of said prime mover.

The valve rod It'd being relatively short, the piston I It may be formed integral therewith and is disposed for rotary and axial movement in the cylinder I76 formed in the partition between the reservoirs Ill and I78. By means of the pipe I33 said reservoir Ill is connected to the reservoir I34.

While the impeller or centrifugal pump may have any suitable construction, I prefer to employ one comprising a disc having a plurality of radial holes H9, whereby the oil in the reservoir I'II will be drawn through the pipe I33 to the lower reservoir I3 2, and thence upwardly and outwardly through said holes I79 to the reservoir I18 for imparting to the lower face of the piston IIIl' suitable hydraulic pressure for the purpose already described in connection with Figures 1 and 2.

While not absolutely essential, better results are obtained by the use of an impeller in which the head or hydraulic pressure produced, is due substantially to the tangential speed component of the motion of the liquid so that for any given speed, such hydraulic pressure imparted to the piston is invariable. This feature is claimed in my divisional application Ser. No. 63,953, filed December '7, 1948. In the present instance, the upper portion I of theouter peripheral surface of the impeller abuts the inner periphery of the casing ti l, and the lower portion of the outer periphery of the impeller terminates short thereof, thereby aifording a space or passageway IBI. In other words, the passageway between the periphery of the impeller and the inner surface of the casing is substantially at right angles to the axes of the holes i759, so that the hydraulic pressure developed by the impeller is due substantially to the tangential speed component of the liquid which the impeller tends to move into the lower reservoir I18 to impart hydraulic pressure to the piston lit. To prevent rotation of the liquid in the reservoir Il'il, the central'part I18 of the lower surface thereof immediately below the impeller, may project upwardly, and the outer edge I78" of such projecting portion may terminate just short of the lower surface of the impeller, the area of the projecting portion being coextensive with that of the impeller. The outer circumference of said projection, together with the lower portion of the cylindrical wall of the casing I14, forms a continuation of the space or passage- Way I8I.

In view of the foregoing, it will be apparent that the governor shown in Fig. 6 requires no antiracing connections to restore the valve to its neutral position at substantially the same time the prime mover speed returns to normal, and it will also be seen that the acceleration-measuring inertia element may be applied to existing systems in which ball or weighted governors, or like centrifugal devices, are used to impart axial movement to a valve interposed between a servomotor and a source of fluid pressure, said inertia element acting in conjunction with such centrifugally actuated weighted devices in substantially the same way in which it co-acts with the impeller-created force imposed upon the piston connected with the valve in the present invention.

It will be noted that in Figs. 2, 4, and 6, the valve is freely mounted and is supported when in steady-state operation solely by the liquid with which the lower face of its attached piston I Ill or IIEI co-operates and the force due to said liquid in steady-state operation is opposed by a constant force equal thereto, i. e., a force which does not increase or decrease with the movement of the valve, with the result that there is no distance limitation in the movement of the valve and the piston thereto attached so that such piston and valve will continuously rise or fall so long as there is a speed differential, from which follow the advantages hereinbefore set out.

In Fig. 4 I have shown hydraulic means actuated by the anti-racing connections for varying the effect of the impeller-created hydraulic pressure on the valve, such means consisting of a Sylphon bellows I90, or any other suitable form of piston, the stem I9I of which is shown in the present instance as pivotally connected to the rod I29, and thence through the bell crank I27, I28, and link I26 to the arm I24 of the bell crank, one of the other arms I28 of which is connected for actuation by the servomotor through the rod I2I.

snag-as By the connections abovesetout, the'cubical content'of the cylinder l92 enclosing said Sylphon bellows is varied. The impeller draws oil from the piston cylinder [95" communicating by the port l93'with the reservoir [94 through the pipe '95 which connects said reservoir with the receptacle E96, and thence delivers it to the lower part of said cylinder I95 by. way of the port 591 controlled by the needle valve I98 and the port I95. The ports 2th and :89 connect the cylinder I92 with the lower portion of the cylinder I95. Ifhus, the movementof the Sylphon bellows will dis lace the oil in the lower part of the piston cylinder and produce the same effect thereupon; and'consequently upon the valve 92, as is produced' by the movement of the impeller cylinder 23am that embodiment of myinvention shown iniFig. 2. An advantage is obtained by the use oi'the construction'shown'in 4, in that the size of the apparatus'is reduced and several mov ing surfaces are eliminated by employing the hydraulic equivalent of the axially movable cylinders'l3'i, i353, and'their' attachments shown in Fig. 2;

' For-completeness of disclosure, Fig. 4, and-also Fig. 2', illustrate'also a standard form of hand a'ctuated'maximum' gate control 2&5, comprising the: hand wheel 2% ior'rotating the cam 2a?- which co-acts with thefollower lever 2%, the lattenco operating with the follower disc 2&9 to move the lever 2H1 about'its' pivotal connection 2'! l with'the body of the'g'overnor. The position off the follower lever may be changed by the servomotor acting through the rod 2&2 pivoted'to the third arm 213 of thebell'crank, the other 1 two" arms of which are I20, [24, said rod being pivotedto the-lever 114 connected by a pin and slotcoup'lin'g 2l5' to said lever 208. The lever 2 l G is connected Withthe valve rod lllfi'by the links 2%, 2H, ball bearings being interposed between said link? H and said'valve rod.

The hydraulic pressure required to be imposed upon the piston 0' in order to maintain the valv'e'in itfs'neutr'alp'osition, is, of course, determined by the weight of'the valve andvalve rod of the valve; which is balanced by a definite pressure, gravity in the case of Figs. 2 and l, and spring pressure in the case of Fig. 7.

, Various other refinements are illustrated in Figs-2 and e-which although not essential to the functioning of my improved'governo'r are desir able forpractical'speed governing. By the very light spring 225 having, its respective ends connected tothe'lever 2H! and the rod 2l2, any

' amount of bias may be impressed upon the valve to obtain any desired degree of speed droop, and for other purposes well understood by those skilled in the art.

Foraxfurther refinedspeed adjustment necessary in modern power. systems to which electric clocks are connected, a very light biasing spring .222 is connected at one end to the lever 2m, and

at the other, to an arm 223 which hasslidabl'e connection with" therod- 2'24 secured" to and depending from" the overhanging ledgei fih integral with the body of theappara-tus; The arm 223 is connected to the difierential nut'EZ'B; preferably, by meansof'ba'll bearings22l, and said nut isiin threaded'engagement with the shaft 2230f the synchronous motfon229and is splined to the shaft 2300f the synchronous motor 23 l.

One of said synchronous'motors is energized by the'current developed by the generator 242 drivenby theprim'e' mover the speed of which is'tc' be governed, and the other, by a currentof standard frequency"2'4'2', that is, by a source oi' periodic function of time; The shafts of the synchronous motors havethe' same direction of rotation; and, therefore, if the system being regulated has the 'same' average frequency as the freduency" desired, both" motors will revolve at exactly the same speed, andithe'nut will remain stationary; but if there is an error in the system being, regulated; the nut will move upwardly or downwardly along the threaded-shaft as the case maybe, and the tension of the biasing spring 22'2'will'be altered to correct such error. In lieu of'the two motors above described, there maybe used'a synchronous motor having its rotor and stator elements energized, one, by the frequency of the generator, and the other, by a standard source of periodic function'of. time, as described more in detail in connection with Fig. 15-. By either of the synchronous motor operated biasing means, integrated frequency error is corrected and an. exact equality of average frequency between the primemover driven generator andfithe standard will be maintainedi The governor shown in Fig. 5, wherein the inertia element and'helical gears'are not used, illustrates the application of another salient feature of my invention, which, as I am at present advised, is broadly newwith me, via, the sub" stitution of the speed measuring impeller to impart" axial movement to the valve for the sen:- trifiigally. actuated weighted devices heretofore employed: for that purpose; In this figure, the impeller 40 of the type shown in Fig. i, is connecteddirectly to the valve rode l, and thelatter is rotated at a speed proportional with that of the prime mover by the synchronous motor 250 connected'by the line 24! with the generator 242 driven by the turbine 243, the supply of water to saidturhine being controlled by the'servomotor 21', the pistonrod or which is connected by the slotted link 2' to the valve or gate mechanism through which the supply of water. is delivered to said turbines For purpose of illustration, the valve 92' governing the supply of fluid pressure tothe servomotor is of the same type as that shown. in Fig. 2.

' Any convenient means, such as the apertured discs 245, disposed on the flange 24% of the hub 2 1! through which the valve. rod projects, may

be employed to vary, the definite downward force actingon the valve rod, which must be balanced when the prime mover speed is normal, by the hydraulic pressure developed by the impeller. By means of the linkage 248; 2 59, 250, the impeller casing 50-maybe moved axially to vary the erTect of said hydraulic pressure on said valve in such manner asto prevent racing, as above described i'nconnection with Fig.1,

The governors shown in Figs; 5 and 6 are isochronous governors, that is, the normal speed of the prime mover is independent of the load thereon and even of the'valve position; and the actual speed, except during the periods inwhich casing a correction for overspeed or underspeed is being made, is the same as the normal speed. The governor shown in Fig. 1 is isochronous in the sense of being independent of the load, and, when a balanced valve, such as that shown in Figs. 3 and 3a, is employed, (see Fig. 5) is isochronous in the full sense of being independent of both load and valve position. The governors shown in Figs. 2 and 4 are isochronous governors when the biasing spring 22!, which, as above stated, is a nonessential refinement, is not used (see Fig. 6).

The governor shown in Fig. 7 is in all respects identical in principle and mode of operation with that illustrated in Fig. 6, wherein the definite force moving the valve axially is the force of gravity.

In Fig. 7, the governor is positioned horizontally, and such definite force is provided by the spring 25I, one end of which is attached to the lever 252, and the other, to an adjusting screw 253 mounted on the bracket 254 rising from the body of the apparatus. Said lever 252 is pivoted at its lower end to the bracket 255 and is coupled to the valve rod I06 by the'links 2I6, 2I1. The impeller IIlI' is disposed within the I14 and mounted on the shaft I1I', journalled in the bearings I13 and 256. By means of the pulley I15 and a belt, not shown, or by other suitable means, the impeller is rotated by the prime mover the speed of which is to be governed. The valve rod and the valve, together with the piston III? secured thereto, are rotated at relatively low speed by the counter-shaft 251 and the speed reducing spur gears I08, I09. The

countershaft to which the driving gear I68 is the flanged sleeve 26I which extends through the central aperture in the flywheel, is provided at its outer end with a washer 262, shown in the present instance as threaded thereto, and interposed between said washer and the outer face of the reduced central portion of the flywheel are a plurality of plate springs, of which two are shown at 263, 263, whereb the flywheel is retained in frictional engagement on said sleeve 26I. Ball bearings 264, preferably, are interposed between the flywheel and the hub of the helical gear H5, in the manner already described in connection with Fig. 6. The helical gear H4, meshing with the helical gear I I5, is driven by the countershaft 251. The reservoir 265 through which the valve rod passes is closed off by the disc 266 from the cylindrical aperture in the valve housing 243' within which the valve element is disposed. Said reservoir is connected by the duct 261 to the reservoir 268, and the latter, by the pipe I33, is connected to the reservoir I34.

The impeller draws oil, or other suitable fluid, from the reservoir 265 to the reservoir I34 and thence drives it through the passageway I5I, described in connection with Fig. 6, to the reservoir 269 into which the piston IIll' projects. The hydraulic pressure developed by the impeller is thus communicated to said piston for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

While the results effected by the two salient features of my invention, viz., the impeller employed to impart axial movement to the valve proportional to the speed of the prime mover in -'lleu of the centrifugally actuated weighted devices heretofore used for this purpose, and the impeller-inertia-element combination whereby the valve may be brought to its neutral position at substantially the same instant that the prime mover speed returns to normal, are not dependent upon the use of the balanced valve shown in the several embodiments of my invention, nevertheless, I prefer to employ such balanced valve of the three-way type, one form of which is illustrated in Figs. 9-13, inclusive, for the reason, among others, that such valve is particularly sensitive to the extremely slight biasing forces heretofore described in connection with Fig. 2, as well as the biasing forces imposed hydraulically upon the valve which will be hereinafter explained in connection with Fig. 15.

- This balanced valve, which I believe to' be broadly new with me, may be regarded as the third salient feature of my invention.

For convenience of description, the valve may be considered as comprising an upper and a lower half (Fig. 3a). It is to be understood, of source, that the description of the upper half applies also to the lower half. The inner surface of the valve sleeve I50, fixedly secured within the housing I43, is provided with a circumferential groove 215, which is shallow with respect to the width thereof, designated in Fig. 13 as a. The valve element snugly fitting within the valve sleeve, at all times co-operates with said groove to afford a narrow annular passageway 216, through which the oil or other fluid under pressure which actuates the servomotor will flow when the intake port I52 is connected to the outlet port I5I by way of the specially contoured annular groove I53 formed in the valve element. The grooved portion of the sleeve communicates at its outer edge 211 with a plurality of openings, viz., the outlet ports I5I, herein shown as annular, although it will be understood thatthe shape of such ports is not material. Said passageway and said openings constitute reaction ports producing upon the valve a force that will open it more widely as soon as the intake port is brought into communication with the outlet port. The sleeve is also provided with a plurality of'ports 218 termed herein free ports, which extend through the sleeve and are in spaced relation around the grooved portion thereof. The free ports are shown in the present instance as having two straight parallel sides 219, rising from the base 280 thereof, the plane of which is herein shown as normal to the axis of the valve.

The effect of the discharge of oil through the opening 218 when the intake port I52 is brought into communication with the outlet port I5I, is to exert upon the valve element a force tending to close the valve (Bernoulli effect). I have discovered that by the proper 'proportioning of the reaction ports and the free ports, the two forces aforesaid may be made substantially equal, so

that the valve can be moved, especially while rotating, with an almost negligible force.

The sleeve inwardly of the grooved portion thereof, is provided with a plurality of intake ports I52, one for each pair of said free and reaction ports. The valve element I05 is provided with an annular groove I53, which, as will be apparent, is disposed to connect the intake ports with the respective pairs of free and reaction ports upon the movement of said valve element outwardly from the position indicated in Fig. 9.' The valve shown has, for convenience,

outward flow through both sets of balanced ports, but similar results may be obtained with inward 

